After making her decision, Mu Yunjin released Chu Li and obediently walked to the side, waiting for him to return after crossing the hot pool.
Chu Li looked at her, his lips curving into a slight smile, then moved closer to the hot pool.
Just as he was about to take flight, a voice announced from the pavilion nearby, “Reporting to Your Majesty, there are two practitioners from West Origin Kingdom requesting an audience outside.”
“Oh? More visitors from West Origin?” Yun Guangyao raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing a trace of interest.
“Quickly, bring them in!”
After receiving Yun Guangyao’s permission, the guard who had just reported immediately went out.
Soon after, two familiar figures slowly walked in.
When Mu Yunjin caught sight of the Black-Robed figure and Shen Wanning from the corner of her eye, her brow furrowed slightly. How had they arrived here so quickly as well?
Logically, by normal travel, it would take at least two days to journey from East Ridge Kingdom to South Court Kingdom, yet they had somehow arrived in just two hours.
…
…
Could it be that they also possessed some secret treasure for rapid travel?
After entering the hot pool area, the Black-Robed figure and Shen Wanning glanced around. Seeing that almost everyone was a familiar face, the Black-Robed figure smiled, then bowed slightly toward Yun Guangyao. “Greetings to the King of South Court.”
“No need for formalities,” Yun Guangyao said.
The Black-Robed figure expressed his thanks, but before he could speak further, Yun Guangyao asked, “Are you with them?” He pointed at Mu Yunjin and Chu Li.
The Black-Robed figure shook his head and smiled lightly. “This humble one did not come with Prince Ning. I have come specifically to request the Snow Spirit Pill.”
“Oh? You’ve also come for the Snow Spirit Pill?” Yun Guangyao raised his eyebrows, his voice revealing surprise.
“Does Your Majesty mean that Prince Ning has also come to request this medicine?” The Black-Robed figure pretended ignorance, glancing at Chu Li.
Yun Guangyao nodded and pointed at the vast hot pool before them. “But you’ve come too late. I have already promised Chu Li that if he crosses this hot pool, I will give him the Snow Spirit Pill.”
From the side, Shen Wanning, who had not spoken until now, heard Yun Guangyao’s words and curved her lips, unable to resist saying, “Your Majesty, for some things, being timely matters more than being early. If we can cross the hot pool, could we also obtain the Snow Spirit Pill?”
“Hahaha, well said about timeliness over earliness. Since you have all traveled thousands of miles to seek medicine to save lives, I naturally won’t refuse. However, there is only one Snow Spirit Pill, so we’ll have to see who can cross this hot pool first,” Yun Guangyao laughed.
The implication was clear: the two parties would compete, and whoever crossed the hot pool first would get the Snow Spirit Pill.
“What timeliness over earliness? Don’t you know about first-come, first-served? Who can you blame for arriving late? What gives you the right to cut in line?” Mu Yunjin, displeased, glared at Shen Wanning.
She had disliked this woman for a long time. The debt from when Shen Wanning had poisoned her with a gu was still unsettled, and now she dared to talk about timeliness over earliness—simply asking for death!
“Yes, Princess Ning speaks well!” Yun Lianqing immediately voiced his agreement.
After speaking, he glanced at Yun Guangyao, then pouted. The old man was truly stubborn; he had already acknowledged his elder brother in his heart, yet still insisted on testing him with this pretense.
If something truly happened, let’s see how you’ll cry!
Hearing Yun Lianqing’s words, Master An also added, “That’s right. If everyone cut in line to get things done, everything would fall into chaos!”
Yun Guangyao turned to look at Yun Lianqing and Master An, his smile not reaching his eyes as he tugged at the corner of his mouth. “First come, first served—this seems reasonable too.”
The Black-Robed figure maintained his smile, slightly turning his gaze toward Chu Li, who stood by the hot pool as if detached from everything. He said calmly, “Whether it’s first come, first served or timeliness over earliness, the decision ultimately lies with Your Majesty, doesn’t it?”
“The Snow Spirit Pill goes to whomever Your Majesty wishes to give it to, isn’t that right?” the Black-Robed figure added.
Hearing this, Yun Guangyao immediately shed his previous casual demeanor, his eyes revealing a glint of sharpness as he narrowed them slightly. “Correct, that is indeed the principle.”
The Black-Robed figure smiled faintly.
“Then let’s go with first-come, first-served. I’m old now and can’t handle too much excitement,” Yun Guangyao said leisurely, taking a sip of tea.
To the side, the Black-Robed figure and Shen Wanning’s eyes darkened slightly.
Mu Yunjin, on the other hand, smugly curled her lips, casting a contemptuous glance at the Black-Robed figure and Shen Wanning.
…
After settling the matter with the Black-Robed figure and Shen Wanning, everyone’s attention fell on Chu Li, who was about to cross the hot pool.
The feat of crossing the hot pool undoubtedly hung life and death by a thread.
Mu Yunjin now stood with her arms crossed, her expression calm. To others, she appeared completely relaxed and composed, but only she knew how tense and afraid she truly felt inside.
Soon, Chu Li’s form rose into the air. Today, he wore a white brocade robe. As his figure merged with the clouds and mist, he appeared ethereal and otherworldly, untouched by mundane dust.
Looking at this figure, Mu Yunjin suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if a powerful voice in her mind kept calling out—
Qing Gege…
Qing Gege…
Mu Yunjin bit her lip, striving to calm her emotions.
At this moment, the figure at the hot pool had already headed into the distance…
Mu Yunjin’s heart tightened anxiously, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the hot pool.
Chu Li, you must come back!
“I’ve heard that since the establishment of Immortal Mountain, what lies at the end of this hot pool has intrigued many curious explorers. But of those who attempted to cross the hot pool, none have ever returned alive,” Shen Wanning suddenly spoke, her tone tinged with schadenfreude.
“I wonder if Prince Ning today will end up like those before him, buried in these scalding waters,” Shen Wanning added.
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin turned her head and shot her a knife-like glare. “Shut up! You don’t know anything, yet you talk so much nonsense! Just wait and see the result!”
“Pfft…” Master An, unable to contain himself, burst out laughing.
These modern people were like this—their insults were brutal and simple! Compared to those flowery classical remarks, this was much more interesting.
“How vulgar!” the Black-Robed figure responded to Mu Yunjin, his eyes showing disdain.
“You can be vulgar too. No one’s stopping you,” Mu Yunjin rolled her eyes, returning her gaze to the hot pool.
Nearby, Ding Xian, Huang Yan, and the others all held back their laughter. When it came to twisted reasoning, no one could match their princess.
“Look at that! What is it?!” At this moment, someone exclaimed, pointing toward the hot pool.
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted there.
They saw that the water in the hot pool was erupting as if countless bombs had been thrown in. Innumerable water jets shot skyward, splashing up dozens of meters high, with no sign of calming down.
Mu Yunjin’s eyes widened. She initially thought Chu Li had caused this, but then heard Yun Guangyao explain, “Chu Li has such bad luck, he’s encountered the Water Light Formation in the hot pool. Now he not only has to successfully cross the hot pool but also avoid each erupting water light. If he’s hit by these water lights, death is certain!”
Upon hearing Yun Guangyao’s words, everyone was shocked.
The water lights erupting before them were extremely densely packed, and the frequency was so high that avoidance seemed impossible.
Chu Li…
Mu Yunjin’s hands clasped tightly together; she could no longer remain calm.
At this moment, a secret sound entered her ears: “Mu’er, quickly, summon the Red Phoenix. The phoenix’s blazing fire can counter this Water Light Formation!”
Hearing the voice, Mu Yunjin started, frowning as she glanced at Master An.
Summon the Red Phoenix…
She didn’t know how to summon it…
In the past, it seemed the Red Phoenix only appeared when she was fighting!
Meanwhile, during her hesitation, Yun Guangyao’s voice rang out, “You two practitioners, now that the Water Light Formation has appeared, if you can pass through it, the Snow Spirit Pill will be yours!”
“Excellent!” The Black-Robed figure’s face broke into a smile, immediately agreeing.
Then, the Black-Robed figure whistled, and suddenly, a flock of eagles flew over from the horizon, circling above the pavilion.
Next, the Black-Robed figure soared up, stepping onto the backs of the eagles. The large flock supported his body, allowing him to fly in mid-air toward the hot pool.
Mu Yunjin hadn’t expected the Black-Robed figure to use this tactic. With these eagles, he wouldn’t need to rely on qinggong but could fly directly over the hot pool.
This couldn’t be allowed!
With this thought, Mu Yunjin tapped her toes and left the ground. As the Black-Robed figure approached the hot pool, she took out her black jade hairpin, preparing to throw it at the eagle flock.
Shen Wanning, recognizing Mu Yunjin’s next move, immediately blocked her path and activated her evil spirit technique.
“Princess, leave this to us!”
Huang Yan and Ding Xian flew forward, simultaneously raising their palms to strike at Shen Wanning.
Shen Wanning’s evil spirit technique was instantly disrupted.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Mu Yunjin flew toward the eagle flock. By now, the Black-Robed figure had already flown past the edge of the hot pool, with boiling water beneath his feet.
Seeing this, Mu Yunjin flicked her wrist, shooting her black jade hairpin toward the eagle flock. In flight, she also wrapped the end of the hairpin with her Phoenix Tail Whip.
“Caw—”
“Caw caw—”
The eagles scattered in all directions upon contact with the black jade hairpin, fleeing without regard for their master still standing on their backs.
The Black-Robed figure suddenly lost his footing, caught off guard, and fell. His back was instantly scalded by the erupting hot pool water, stripping away a large patch of skin.
The Black-Robed figure reacted quickly. After his back was scalded, he immediately gathered his true energy and flew back toward the shore.
As he flew, he concentrated a powerful palm strike and drove it heavily toward Mu Yunjin on the shore.
Mu Yunjin had already prepared a palm strike to counter the Black-Robed figure. When he launched his attack, she fearlessly met the palm force head-on with her strike.
“Bang—”
The two powerful forces collided in mid-air, producing a tremendous sound that made even the ground beneath them tremble.
The Black-Robed figure had assumed his palm strike would block Mu Yunjin’s attack, but he hadn’t expected her palm force to break through his full-power strike and come straight at him.
Instinctively trying to dodge, he forgot he was suspended above the edge of the hot pool. As he shifted his body, he was struck by a surging water light.
Subsequently, another area of his back was scalded.
The Black-Robed figure’s expression grew increasingly grim, cold as ice. Dark energy flickered in his eyes, and his face became more distorted. “You’ve ruined my plans. Die, enchantress!”
With these words, countless black water snakes flew out from the Black-Robed figure’s sleeves, rapidly swimming toward Mu Yunjin.
Seeing the black mass of water snakes before her and the continuously surging Water Light Formation nearby, Mu Yunjin frowned. Her heart was concerned for Chu Li, she had no desire to continue fighting with the Black-Robed figure.
Involuntarily, she gathered her true energy, pressed her palms together, and silently chanted in her heart—
Fire Phoenix, come out!